One step forward, two steps back
by celillynn
Summary: starts with a summary (sort of) of the emotions that Sam and Andy felt from the "I love you" in 3x07 to Kevin Ford. Chapter 2 will be my personal 5x01 and so on. I'm sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language. Please Review. Rated T to be safe. !TITLE HAS CHANGED! Former ONE STEP FURTHER MAKES TWO STEPS BACK!
1. Chapter 1

One step further makes two steps back.

She told him "I love you" after an almost normal shift. It came out so naturally He wasn't even sure he understand well. He didn't say it back. Not that she was expecting anything, but deep down she felt a little disappointed. Not so long after that, he broke up with her in a parking lot.

He said "I love you" after an almost deadly shift. It came out so desperate she was sure he said it in the heat of the moment. She didn't say it back. But while he was half expecting this, he felt more than a little hope she would eventually give in . She never shown up at the Penny that night.

She came back from UC full. She was full of pride, cause she finished the mission and chased the bad guys; and she was full of hope, that for some reason Sam would've been waiting for her. What was it when she saw him kissing the other officer? Was it Jealousy? Rage? Disappointment? Regret? All of them?  
It only took a couple of hours for her to fall from her cloud 9.

He heard her voice trough the phone after six months of silence. He felt relieved and proud, and all the regret he felt the past months was gone. For about a second. It came back worse than ever when he thought about the changes she will find once at the station, one of all Marlo. Just when he saw her at the station, after he kissed Marlo, he finally understood how he felt. Trapped.

She gave up her "Win back Sam plan" after a few weeks, when she felt the need to go on with her life, and let Sam live his. She felt sad, but free.

When she told him she was letting him go, was the second time (being the first the one when she held that stupid grenade), he thought he might lose her. It was the second time in his life he was really scared.

When he realized he was fooling himself and Marlo, was not so long after she started fooling herself and Nick.

When Kevin Ford shoot him, Sam's heart was not the only one who stopped .

It was her rambling in the bus, that made Sam see the girl he fall in love with.

How they made an entire year apart is a mistery, even for them. Truth is that neither of them is gonna give up this time. And it would have been easier for them to clean the air, if Sams heart didn't stop. 


	2. No Ordinary Day

5x01 – No Ordinary day 

How can 3 hours be longer than 3 years Andy doesn't know. It's been that long since Sam was brought to surgery to extract the bullet and stop the bleeding. She went to the waiting room to tell Frank and the other officers about Sam's condition and to fill the admission papers. Then she tried to call Marlo, but she never answered. After the 10th call, she gave up. It took 45 minutes to take care of everything. All she had to do now was waiting. After more than 2 hours, a couple of officers left, and she was alone in the waiting room with Traci and her own thoughts.

"Andy please say something. You're just staring at the floor, no tears, no words, you're scaring me …"  
Andy lift her head to look at Traci for a second, then she stared at the floor again.: "I….I….I feel so helpless, I don't know what to do, I just have a million of thoughts in my mind….".  
Traci knelt in front of her and cup her hands: "Hey, look at me. He'll be fine Andy. Sam. Will. Be. Fine."

Just then the doctor came out: "Officer McNally can I talk to you ?" 

Meanwhile –15 division  
By the time Frank and Nick arrived at the station, Luke had already take the statements and Holly was instructing the forensics.  
Luke approached Nick and lead him to the interrogation room in order to take the statement, while Frank told everyone to go to parade in 5 minutes.  
In the interrogation room, Nick had just finished his not so friendly talk with Luke and was reaching the door when he heard the detective say: " Are you gonna let her go?"  
Nick turned around and with a sad smile said " It's not like I didn't know what the risks were. …See you Callaghan".

Parade room  
When Frank came to the parade was greeted only by silence and wondering glances.  
"Alright everybody, as you know tonight detective Swarek was shot here in the station. The shooter, Kevin Ford, was killed by Officer Collins. Swarek is still in surgery in order to extract the bullet, and a few officers are there to keep us posted. Now, I know how you feel, somebody came here, in our house, and stroke us down. But we can't allow our fears to get the best on us. So, we have a job to do, assignments are on the whiteboard. Serve, Protect, and held your head high. Dismissed."

At the hospital:  
Andy got up and went straight to the doctor forgetting Traci and the other officers.  
"How is he?"  
"Miss McNally , detective Swarek is alive. We were able to stop the bleeding and took the bullet out. We're taking him to ICU and hopefully he will wake up in a couple of hours"  
Andy was speechless, but someway she found the important words to say "Can I see him?"  
The doctor smiled and told her to follow him.  
She stopped at the door and thanked the doctor before entering the room. She stared at the sleeping form in front of her, took a chair a sat down taking his hand in hers. When she thought she had no more tears and no more words left, voice and tears came.  
"Hey Sam, you're gonna be OK, you know, I just talked to the doctor, he told me that. All you have to do is wake up. Come on Sam, come back to me". She laid her head against the still entwined hands, and completely drained, fell asleep.

Patrol car-next morning  
Gail and Chris started the morning shift after a night spent in the waiting room of the hospital waiting for the doctor to come out and tell them their friend wound be fine.  
"I really don't want to work today"  
"Come on Chris, Sam's fine, Andy's fine, with a little luck Chloe will be ok too, Why are you so worried?"

"Gail, Sam's not fine, he just got shot, Andy and the word fine shoundn't be put in the same sentence. EVER. And Chloe is not out of the woods as well. And she's married! How can you hide something like that! "  
"You're such a drama queen. You know what? I'm gonna…."  
Just then the radio spoke:" 1509 street fight in spadina"  
Chris sighed and answered the call: "1509 responding." He turned to Gail and said :"No ordinary day."  
Gail smirked and said: "let the fun begin"

At the hospital  
Andy woke up to a clank. She turned her head and relaxed when she realized it must have been a nurse checking on Sam. She got up to grab the bottle of water on the nightstand beside Sam's bed, and saw an envelope with his name on it. She immediately recognized the handwriting as the same on the notepad she tampered. She rushed to the door and looked around, searching for Marlo but she was nowhere to be found. She was about to came back to the room when she saw Luke .  
"How's he doing?"  
"He's still out, the doctor said it would've been awake in a couple of hours, but it had already been 10 hours….uhm, I'm sorry, I don't want to be rude, but what are you doing here?"  
"I'm here to take your statement Andy, I'm sorry, I waited as long as I could but…."  
"It's ok….apparently I still have some time.." she said glancing throught the window to the sleeping figure laid on the hospital bed.

Spadina  
Gail and Chris were handcuffing two drunk men, when a woman run towards them screaming.  
Chris tried to calm her down to understand why she was screaming. When the cries finally stopped , she brought them to the house she came out from.  
What they found there, was unexpected, to say the least.  
"Chris I really think we should call Homicide….You know, I might be dating Holly, but I'm still not allowed to do an autopsy."

She took the radio "This is 1509 backup requested at 89675 Spadina. Homicide scene. Send the CSI."

In the meantime Chris was trying to reach Callaghan "Hey Luke it's me…yeah I know you're at the hospital but we have a murder and we need you here….ok yes I'll send you a text with the location. Bye." He turned to Gail and said:" he's coming." 

Hospital  
"Look Andy I really need to go, I'll send someone to bring you some fresh clothes, I know that you're not gonna leave this place anytime soon. Just call me if you need anything OK?"  
"Thanks Luke.."  
When Callaghan left she decided to grab a snack at the vending machine, when she heard someone clearing his throat behind her. She turned around and saw Oliver in a wheelchair handing her a cup of coffee. Andy looked at him and before he could even speak she burst in tears and wrapped her arms around his neck.  
"Be careful McNally, I know I'm handsome but my ribs are broken"  
"Sorry Oliver it's just that…..argh I swear I was going to visit you…I just…..I didn't want to leave him….they said he would have been awake by now but…"  
"Andy…will you please stop rambling and tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours?".  
She took a deep breath and admitted:  
"It's my fault! He was leaving and I was talking him down and then we saw your patrol car outside and when we came back into the station he didn't put his vest on…..oh God Oliver….what if he hates me? "

Crime Scene  
Luke arrived at the scene and was immediately welcomed by Chris and Gail who filled him about the case.  
When he stepped into the house he looked at the scene and at the victim on the floor. Suddenly he recognized the tattoo printed on the dead body.  
"Great, just what I need today…." He said to himself. Luke then turned to call Chris who was outside talking with the witness : "Diaz, call Guns and Gangs and detective Peck. Tell him we have a murder, and that the victim was with the 912". Chris nodded and dialed the numbers.

Hospital  
More tears fell , and Oliver reached for her chin and looked straight in her eyes: "you listen to me McNally. There's no way in the world that Sam could feel for you something anywhere near hate. I still don't understand how can you two be so blind towards your feelings, but if you don't face them, I will! You must know something, Andy….something Sam said to me at the cabin not long ago. We were waiting for that two morons, and…he told me that he missed you."  
"He told you what?"  
"He told me he wants to marry you, he wants you to be the mother of his children….I don't know if you understand what this means….Sam has never been the family man…and the fact he thinks he can have a family…with you…..it's…it's beyond amazing McNally…you can't let it go! you just can't!"

Andy just nodded her head not trusting herself to speak because she was sure no words would have came out…She managed a thank you to Oliver, who just smiled and went to Celery who was waiting for him near the elevator. Just then she came to Sam's room and saw that his eyes were wide open and staring at her. 

Reviews are appreciated! ;-)  
Hope you like it!  
Sorry for any mistakes. If you notice any recurring errors, let me know. 


	3. Pandora's box

I just want to thank you for the reviews! I also noticed a couple of mistakes in the previous chapter. I'm sorry I didn't see then soon enough. I promise I'll get better. Be patient with me . I've also never been in Toronto (UNFORTUNATELY) so I googled the streets.  
Here's the 3rd chapter, o better, my 5x02 

5x02 – Pandora's box

Gerrard street-

The blonde detective flashed his badge and went to the crime scene. Just then his phone rang.  
"Hey little sis what's up?"  
"uhm no it's officer Diaz actually.."  
"What do you want? Is Gail OK?"  
"Yeah sorry, she gave me her phone to call you. Listen, we are at a crime scene, Callaghan told me to call you cause apparently our victim was in a gang…"  
Steve ran his and through his hair and sighed:" Listen Diaz, I'm at a crime scene too. One of my sneaks was killed this morning, so tell Luke I'll be there once I'm finished here."  
"OK".  
By the time Chris hung up Luke arrived: "Did you call Peck?"  
"yes, he told me he's at a crime scene….He'll be there once he's finished there"  
"Aargh….If you tell anybody I'll kill you, but now I really miss Swarek…."

Sam's room 

"Oh my…..you're awake…SAM…YOU'RE AWAKE!"  
His voice was husky and rough "yeah McNally…. I was there too you know…"  
She ran to him and hugged him so tight: "You. Are. Never. Getting. Shot. Again. Got it?"  
He laughed and coughed : "I don't think I'm gonna live that long McNally. You're strangling me"  
She got up in no time and started pacing in the room : "Oh God Sam did I hurt you? Are you in pain? ….I should call the doctor…Do you want some water?...Of course you do…. I have to call Frank…and Oliver…and Traci….wait….are you cold? Do you want me to put a blanket on you? No wait, maybe I should ask the doctor first…"  
As amusing as it was, Sam decided to stop that spinning top also known as Andy : "Andy…Andy can you please stop for a second? I was jokin', I'm not cold, the doctor can wait. Now.." He patted the side of the bed, "come here for a minute".

She didn't dare to meet his eyes when she said "I don't want to hurt you".  
It came out so quietly he wasn't even sure he'd understood, but he saw the fear and a thousand of different emotions in her eyes, so he tried again "McNally either you came here, or I'm getting up, and I heartily recommend the first. Please".  
By the time she sat on the bed the only sound that filled the room, was that of her sobs.

Spadina  
Steve Peck arrived at the scene and immediately saw his sister waving at him.  
"So, where's the victim?"  
"Well hello to you too big bro. The victim is in the house, Holly is almost ready to take the body to the morgue, so if you want to examine the scene, you better hurry up".  
He stepped into the house and went straight to Holly: "So what do we have here?"  
"Joshua Merrit, male, 28 years old, was stabbed in the leg and in the abdomen. The major blood loss was most likely the cause of the death". She lifted the sheet that was covering the body and showed him the victim's arm. There was a tattoo all too familiar to the detective.  
"I found this tattoo on his arm. It's a phoenix. I know it's not….." she didn't have the chance to finish the sentence because Steve was already on the phone  
"Hallo, this is detective Peck. I need to talk to detective Blackstone. Now."

At the hospital

"No mom, I know he's her husband, but he can't give up just like that…ok thanks mom bye"  
"So how's she doing?"  
" Chloe 's husband doesn't want her to have surgery. Sir, the doctor said it's her only chance to walk again. He threatened me saying he won't let me see her if I don't stop trying to talk to her parents."  
Frank patted Dov's shoulder and told him to go to the cafeteria, he assured him he was going to stay with Chloe until he came back. Best found Wes sitting in a chair beside Chloe's bed, talking to her.  
"Chloe, it's for the best, I really hope you will understand…I rather have you alive in a wheelchair for the rest of your life, than not having you here at all."  
"Wes.."  
"Oh, Sergeant I didn't know you'd came. I'll leave you alone with her"  
"It's OK. I actually wanted to talk to you."  
"Dov told you, didn't he?"  
" Yep, he did. Listen Wes, I know that Chloe is really important to you, and that you just want to do what's best for her, but, I also know that this is not what Chloe would want. She would put up a fight, hell, a war if necessary, and she would use every possible weapon to win. If that means she's going to die, she's going to die fighting. If she's going to live, she's going to spend her life walking, runnin, jumpin and doing whatever she wants . I know it's difficult, but maybe if you try to think about what she would do, it would be a little bit easier for you."  
With that, Frank drop a kiss on his goddaughters forehead and left the room.

Sam's room

"Hey Andy please don't cry".  
"I came so close to lose you for good, I can't even imagine what I would have done if you didn't make it. "  
What started as an heartbreaking speech, became suddenly angrier and angrier.  
"Why didn't you put that damn vest on? You think you're bullet-proof uh? Well, guess what, you're not! You've got a freakin hole in your chest. You want to know why? Cause you're an idiot, you could have died yesterday. You were gonna leave me. You were…"  
Once again the sobs had the best on her.  
"Andy I'm sorry, I didn't even think about the vest. I just wanted to chase Ford, I'm sorry if I scared you"  
She was about to speak again when the doctor came in:  
"Detective Swarek I see you're awake. That's good. Are you in pain?"  
"Just a little sore doc"  
"OK. You have to take it easy detective. You just got shot and you just had surgery. Now, I'll send you a nurse to take a blood sample. This way we'll see if you have some kind of infection. If you're clean, we'll keep you here 2 more weeks . I really suggest you to find some help, cause you can't hangin' around your house, clean up, cook and so on. You have to rest. And most of all: NO WORK."  
"Thanks doc. I'll try"  
"I'll send you the nurse detective…oh and by the way… You should tell your friend to go home…she never left your side since you came here"  
The doctor left , but unfortunately for her, Andy was still in the room, blushing furiously.  
"Andy tell me you didn't sleep here.."  
"I didn't want you to wake up alone…I didn't want to leave you. Look what I said in the bus.."  
"Andy we don't have to talk about it right now. Go home, eat, sleep, take a shower. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. We'll talk when you came back OK?"  
She slightly nodded and was about to leave when she remembered the letter: "Sam…there's this…" – she handed him the letter- "The handwriting looks like Marlo's , But I didn't see her coming, so I'm not sure. See you later Sam". She didn't even think what she was doing, but she kissed him on the cheek. And left.

Detective office- 15 division.

"Callaghan Guns and gangs is going to take the lead of the investigation. That's it!"  
"Listen Peck. I know how much badass detectives like you love to control the investigations, but this is my case, I'm not letting you cut me out. Is that clear?"

"Luke this is not a simple murder. One of my sneaks was killed, just like one of the heads of the 912. If this is a feud, we're screwed cause we have 3 officers undercover. So believe me, if I'm right you wouldn't want to be in the middle of this mess".  
"Ok…Then I'll tell you what we're going to do. I'll head the investigations for what concerns the murders, you'll head the rest. Deal?"  
"Deal. Let's go tell Best what's going on…."  
"Not so fast guys."  
"Blackstone, it's always a pleasure…. Or not."  
"yeah Peck you know, some idiot called me and told me we are in the middle of a gang feud. Imagine my surprise."  
"Do you want to share your infinite knowledge with us?"  
"Down to business as usual Callaghan. OK, I talked to one of my agents who's undercover. He told me there's a rat. He's not one of ours. He's someone who knows too much things about too much gangs. He's spilling this secrets a few months now. He started with the light ones, and now…"  
" And now he's talking about sneaks and traitors. Owen Hart was my informer. Joshua Merrit was working for both 912 and the Ventura's family".  
"This is a freaking Pandora's box. If he keeps on with this, our UC agents are screwed."

Sam's room  
The nurse came and took a sample of Sam's blood. He felt a little bit dizzy so he came back to sleep.  
He woke up at 4:30 A.M. and saw the little frame crouched on the chair. He smiled at the sight of Andy. He stretched his arm and reached the letter on the nightstand.  
He opened the envelope and started to read. 

**here I am!  
Maybe this chapter is too long.. but there are so many characters I don' t know how to put them all in a single chapter. So this time no Traci, no Oliver and most of all no Nick (my favourite).  
Let me know what you think.  
Xoxo**


	4. Departures and Arrivals

5x03 – Departures and Arrivals

_Dear Sam,  
I know this is a really terrible way to say goodbye, but I'm aware that if I talk to you, I won't be able to leave. I made a lot of mistakes in my life, and I promised myself over and over that no matter what, I would have never stopped taking my meds. But I was so overwhelmed you know, Andy's return, the anthrax, Kevin Ford… I didn't know how to face my problems. And then our relationship was growing and I was sure our feelings and support for each other would've been enough for me, so I stopped taking my meds. I'm sorry for the mess I caused, now I'm ready to face the consequences. I won't leave the force, cause obviously I need a job, but I won't be on the streets anymore. I'm also changing district cause the mess I left here is something I can't face now. I won't say something like "Wake up Sam, Andy is your soul mate..", It's not my place to tell and it hurts too much. I know you'll made up your mind, and do what's best for you. I felt something deep for you Sam, but I'm not sure it was love.  
I'm really sorry for the way I destroyed whatever we had. Get well soon  
Marlo  
PS please tell Andy and Nick I'm sorry ._

Sam read the letter and sighed. He never really thought about what he felt for Marlo, but it surely wasn't love. Sure, he cared for her, but the emotions he felt, and feels, for Andy, are in a totally different and higher level. He glanced again at the sleeping form in the chair, and started thinking about what he could do to came back to the time when they were happy. He came to the conclusion that he can't do that, but he can put his efforts in building a better relationship with Andy. All he had to do for the time being, was waiting for his sleeping beauty to wake up. 

Patrol car  
"Soo….How's Andy?"  
"really Gail? Can't you make it a little more awkward?"  
"What? I was trying to be nice…..you should appreciate my efforts!"  
"Oh I do, believe me…"- He glanced at her and admitted-"I..I broke up with her.."  
"What? Did you fall for someone else during a bust?"  
"is that your way to be 'nice'? "  
"Ok, that was low….what happened?"  
"I'm not sure I want to talk about it….with you.."  
Gail was about to answer when Nick stopped abruptly and put into reverse.  
"Nick, what the…." Just then she saw a dead body lying on the front door of a forsake building -"Oh please, not another body…."-she took the speaker and called the station-"this is 1504, we're in Victoria street, back up requested, possible murder"  
-"_roger 1504"-  
_"Sooo, are we going or not?"  
"Gail, we should wait for back up"  
"Come on wussy, don't be a party-pooper"  
Nick groaned and said -"Alright, let's go.."  
They put the disposable gloves on and approached the crime scene. Nick knelt in front of the victim and checked for the victim's pulse. He was shocked when he found it- "This is 1504, we need a bus here. The victim is alive, repeat, the victim is still alive"-  
Gail was inspecting the scene when Nick called her - "Nick what's the matter?"  
"He's still alive"- He was still holding the victim's arm and Gail saw the tattoo on the man's forearm-  
"We have to call Steve too. Look at his arm, he's with the Cobra's"  
The bus arrived and took the man to the hospital.

At the hospital  
Andy woke up to a whooping. She lifted her head and saw a very cheerful Oliver making his entrance in the room.  
"Gee brother you scared me to death!"  
"Well Sammy I should be the one to say that, you know… I wasn't the one who got shot"  
"well Olly, It's not like you didn't…" –

But Oliver shut her off immediately- "Oh McNally, nice of you to stop snoring for us"  
Andy blushed "I wasn't…."  
Sam grinned and said "McNally you don't have to explain…you were tired, and most likely uncomfortable in that chair.."  
"I. Wasn't. Snoring."  
"Well I came here to tell Sammy that Celery and I are going to stop by for supper with some very very healthy food she's going to cook, but considering that McNally is here too, why do I have to poison just my brother and not his girlfriend too?"  
Sam and Andy were too embarrassed to correct Oliver, who was grinning from ear to ear and didn't show any sign of regret.  
"Ok well guys, I'll head to my room now, or Sue, my new friend and personal nurse, will send a search party for me…See you later guys".  
Oliver left the room and Sam and Andy in a very awkward silence. Surprisingly, Sam was the first to talk-"So, why don't we take the bull by the horns?"  
She wasn't expecting something like that from him, so she only nodded and managed a slightly "ok".

Parade Room

Frank was already growing tired of this gang feud, and saying that he was in a bad mood was the understatement of the century- "Alright everybody listen up! Collins and Peck found another body. This time the man was with the Cobra gang. Officer Diaz is at the hospital now, and he's going to stay there to keep us posted about the victim's conditions. He's in surgery now so, until he wakes up we won't have any suspect. Detective Nash and Callaghan, I want you to go to the grocery store near the scene and bring the tapes here to examine them. Detective Peck do we know who the victim is?"

Steve stepped up and showed the mug shot to the crowd -"Logan Samuelson, 39 , previously charged for dealing, fraud and public indecency. He worked for Louis Gage, head of the Cobra's, but we didn't figured out any possible reason to kill him yet". 

Frank gave the assignments and dismissed the officers-  
"Ok, Serve, Protect, and don't find anymore dead bodies. Please."

At the hospital

"So. Where do we start?"-Andy asked  
"I don't know. Listen Andy, I'm not the talking type, especially when it comes to my feelings. I can't assure I'll become one of those men who brings you flowers every day, or one of those who has fun going shopping all day long. Look, you know I won't say "I love you" every minute of every day, but I can assure you when you'll hear those words coming from my mouth, they'll be totally meant."  
Andy was already in tears, she didn't expect an open hearted speech like that from him.  
"Sam…I"  
"No Andy, let me finish please. I know I made a mistake in shutting you out after…you know…., and I'm aware that asking you to believe my promises sounds a bit shameless. What I can say is, give us a chance. Baby steps, time and space, whatever you want. I'm here, and I'm here for the long haul. I know I just ended things with Marlo, I don't want to rush things again, and I don't need an answer now. Just think about it. OK?"

"Sam, I do believe you. I want to tell that first, cause I don't want you to think that I don't trust you. I trust you with my life. Always have, Always will. And I don't need time either, we've wasted enough of it apart. You hurt me so bad when you broke up with me, and even more when I came back and you were kissing Marlo, "- She took a deep breath and continued- " but I don't regret going undercover. Yeah, maybe it was a little selfish, but I needed to do something to find my place on our job. You know, Traci's a detective, Gail is born to be a white shirt, and I was Tommy McNally's daughter. But it wasn't fair to you. It wasn't fair leave you waiting for me at the penny, I should have explained my reasons instead of running away like that. I still love you, but I don't want to push you into a relationship either. I want us to get used to each other again, I want us to take baby steps, but most of all, I want us to communicate. I don't need thousands of love declarations, but I do want you to trust me, to tell me what your problems and your worries are . I don't need your protection, I need you".

The smile that popped out on Sam's face was priceless. She had said yes to him and if it wasn't for that stupid gunshot wound he would've lifted her up and spun her around.  
His grin however, didn't last long, because the hurricane also known as Sarah Swarek, rushed into the room, and on the face of her death glare, he was in deep trouble.

At the hospital- 2 floors above Sam's room 

"Honey I'm here. I cooked….." -Celery found Oliver sitting on his bed, with a big grin plastered on his face- "Oliver what's so funny?"-

"Guess who's in trouble honey?"- He was too excited to wait for her answer –"Sam's sister is here and she is beyond furious. She came to visit me before going to Sam cause she was too much worried. And now, she's downstairs, and Andy and Sam are there too. So not only Sammy 's head is going to be chewed off by his own sister, but Sarah's going to meet Andy, and he can't do anything to prevent it".  
Celery wasn't even trying to understand his boyfriend logic, but his smirk told her he was up to something.  
"Oh my little scamp, you're evil".  
He couldn't stop his ridiculous grin-  
"I know, let's wait here a little longer. But not too much, I'm not that mean, I still care for Sammys safety".

**Hey guys!  
I know I'm leaving Traci behind, but if I put all the characters in the same chapter, the story might bore you.  
Let me know what you think with your reviews!  
XOXO  
**

__


	5. A good answer

5x04 – A good answers

At the hospital

"Samuel Swarek, you little brat, how dare you getting shot? Did you want to give me a heart attack? Have you the slightest idea of the scare you gave me?"  
Sam groaned hearing his sisters lecture, especially because she was treating him like a baby in front of Andy - "you know Sis, it's not like I planned on getting shot…"-  
-"Sam are you actually making fun of me? Because I'm not laughing and you're not funny. Now, what did the doctor say to you? No wait, I'll talk to the doctor by myself… I know you'd lie to me"-

Andy was frozen since she'd understood the woman in the room was Sam's sister, and when she started to chew his head off, Andy took this as her cue to leave. Unfortunately for her, just then Sarah noticed her presence in the room.  
Sarah wasn't exactly in a good mood, so she snapped at her -"I'm sorry who are you?"-  
During her short career, Andy had faced dealers, robbers and killers, but never a furious feminine version of Sam, so when Sarah talked to her, she was sure she'd stopped breathing.  
-"I'm Andy….and I was going….uhm" – she was trying to find in her brain a good excuse to leave. Immediately. –"I was going to visit Chloe…."-  
Sam understood she wasn't at ease at the moment, but he wasn't gonna let her leave like that. -"McNally, stay. She's just..…"-  
-"I'm sorry, did you just call your girlfriend, who by the way, was about time to meet, by her last name? Oh God, aren't you a caveman?"-  
-"Sarah…"-  
But his sister wasn't listening to him anymore. In fact, she was more interested in the younger woman in front of her.  
-"So you're Andy uh? I'm Sarah and it's nice to finally meet you. Now, I don't want to seem bitchy, but can you please leave me alone with my brother? We have to talk about a few things and I.."  
-"It's Ok, I really have to talk to Dov about some very important stuff anyway," – she lied - "so see you Sam. And Sarah it's nice to meet you too."-  
When Andy was out of sight, Sam turned to his sister with a very angry expression – " What was that for Sar? You scared her! "-  
- " oh, I'm sure she was more scared when she saw you covered in blood." – She relaxed a bit before speaking again- " Look, I'm sorry I reacted that way, but I was so worried since your sergeant called me. Why did he wait that long to tell me?"  
- "Sarah, I gave Frank instructions to call you only if necessary because I "-  
She interrupted him – " It was necessary . You got shot!"-  
"Let me finish ok? I told Frank that if I would get hurt, he should have called you only once sure I was going or not going to make it. I'm sorry. I really am."-  
She sighed and said –"It's ok. I'm glad you're fine….more or less, just, Don't ever scare me like that again ok?" 

At the Hospital- Chloe s room

Dov opened the door , and found Wes talking with the surgeon.  
-"So. I'll bring officer Price to surgery. The operation will last at least 5 hours. After that, she'll came back here and stay unconscious for a while. I'm not saying there aren't risks and possible complications, but this is the right choice. I'll send a nurse to prepare Chloe"-  
Dov was shocked. He didn't think Wes could have changed his mind. – "Why did you do that?" – he asked-

-" I talked with someone who made me understand that my fears shouldn't influence other people's life. I perfectly know that if she survives I'm not the one she'll ask for. I could be her husband, but I'm not the one she wants to be with, and I don't have the right to go against her will."-  
Wes was reaching the door to leave Dov alone with his girlfriend, but suddenly stopped and turned around –" Oh, I forgot, I hope in your division coffee is better than in mine, 'cause my first shift at 15 starts in a week". With that said, Wes left, and the nurse came to bring Chloe to surgery.

3 days passed by, Chloe woke up and was breathing on her own, but wasn't able to move yet. Sarah and Andy never met again, even if they both visited Sam every day. Oliver was allowed to go home, but he was spending a lot of time at the hospital to visit Sam. Luckily no bodies were found, but not so luckily, the internal investigation about the shooting and the mess Marlo left had started. 

At the cafeteria near the hospital

Sarah was going to visit her brother, but decided to get him some real food for breakfast first. She was pushing the door open, when Andy opened it first to get out.

-"Hi Sarah!"-  
-"Good morning Andy, finally we meet again. Actually I was hoping to see you, my brother told me you went to visit him these days, but we never crossed paths" – she was amused by Andy's puzzled face – "so, Andy McNally, do you feel like talking?"-  
What Andy really wanted wasn't talking with her sister-in-law…or whatever she was at the moment. What she really wanted was a hole to grow under her feet and swallow her. That or Chinese torture. Whatever didn't include talking with Sarah Swarek was a better thing to do.  
However, she nodded. 

At the hospital- Sam's room

"So Sammy, when are these doctors going to get rid of you?"-  
-" Never too soon. Being closed in this room with nothing to do all daylong is driving me crazy. See I'm rambling, I'm talking more than McNa….."- He closed his eyes as if to stop time, cause if there was a topic he was trying not to bring up with Oliver was Andy McNally. But he saw the smirk on Oliver's face, and he knew he wasn't allowed to run away from that room. He basically had no way out.-  
-"Andy uh? … Is she coming here a lot?"-  
-" Oliver, aren't you wasted as officer? You could've made a brilliant detective"-  
-"Relax Sammy, I'm just asking If a good friend of yours…. a very pretty friend of yours….a friend of yours for which you feel something more than friendly affection…"  
-"Ok Oliver stop right now or I swear I'll call your mother and you know I'll tell her…"-  
Oliver's heart beat faster at the mention of his mother who hadn't idea of who Celery was -" Sammy you're not playing fair"-  
-" Well I have to defend myself someway"-  
Oliver chuckled and then turned serious -" Seriously brother, what's going on with you two?"  
Truth is he didn't really know what was going on between them. Sure, they decided to take things slow but they haven't even kissed yet, and he was starting to think that she was treating him like he was made of crystal.

-"Andy and I decided to take things slow…"-  
-"You and Andy taking things slow? OK, I've heard a lot of stupid things, but this is the worse. Haven't you waste enough time? "-  
-"I don't want to scare her.."-  
-" What? Sammy what are you talking about? What is she scared of? Or better, what are YOU scared of?"  
Well, He got the point. Who was the scared one? Was she or not?  
-"Ok brother, I gotta go. The HQ sent an inspector, and she wants to talk to me. And anyway Andy's coming and I don't want to interrupt your romantic time…"-  
-"Oliver.."-  
-"Ok ok I'm going…see I'm going… Tell her I said Hi!" –he shouted from the hallway.

Parade room

"Officer Diaz how cool you find the time to join us. You're lucky I don't have enough people outside or you'd have gone straight to bookings. Ok folks, detective Nash and Callaghan analyzed the tapes of the grocery store near the last crime scene. Luckily enough we didn't find any more bodies, but the last victim is on induced coma. Callaghan what have you found?"  
-"we watched the tapes and found this.." – Luke pointed at a small frame on the screen –" we can't see his face or identify him, but we can say he's with the Phoenix too."- He zoomed at the man's arm, and everyone saw the tattoo.

–" We don't know what he was doing at the scene an hour before the attack, but if the victim's gang is involved, we're facing not only a gang feud, but an internal war too. Now the question is: are our UCs in danger?"  
-"Alright everybody. Assignments on board. Serve, Protect and find a good answer. Dismissed." 

At the cafeteria 

-"So, are you in a relationship with my brother?"-

Andy froze. Was she always that blunt?  
-"We decided to take things slow. But yes, we're in a relationship."-  
-"Alright. Why should he trust you again? I 'm not an overprotective sister, Andy, and I don't want to give you the impression that I treat my brother like a baby. I don't want to protect him, cause he's adult enough to make his own choices. I just want to prepare myself for what I'm gonna find once you leave again"-  
-"I'm not planning on leaving him anytime soon"-  
-" My brother deserves the best. I'm not against you Andy, I want to understand if I can trust you. Until then, why don't we help Sam to heal and see day by day how it goes? Deal?"-  
Andy wasn't sure if she should feel offended or relieved. On one hand, Sarah basically told her she doesn't trust her. On the other, she's willing to give her a chance.

-"Fine by me. Just, don't get in the way. I understand you don't trust me, and it's fine, really. But if you want to judge me or test me, then it's not so fine. I'm aware of the mistakes I made, and the ones Sam made. We decided to try again, and I won't accept any interference. I'm not gonna make the same mistakes again".-

Sarah just smirked at her and said : -"That's a very good answer…..McNally"- 

**Hope you like it!**

**Next chapter we'll move forward. It's already 4x04 and Sam is still at the hospital. So, guess what?  
He's going home soon **

**I received a review that inspired me a lot. It said he/she was tired of reading that Sarah is always instantly friendly with Andy and all maternal with Sam. So I tried to picture Sarah as a the standard sister who tries to protect, but not overprotect her brother. **

**I also wanted Andy to fight and protect her relationship with Sam.**

**Review s are reaaaally appreciated **


	6. Home Sweet Home

5x05 – Home sweet home

Sam's house

-"Ok, Ok superman, I think I should take these bags…"

- "Andy, I'm fine. I can still take a bag by myself."

- "Sam, you're the worst patient in the whole world".-

-"Will you be my personal nurse?" He smirked and she blushed. 

They arrived at his front door and Sarah opened it: - "Finally, you're here! Come on, I'll help you. Oh Andy, you can stay and have lunch with us if you want". -  
-"Oh no thanks, I have to go to the station. The inspector wants to talk to me. I'll just help Sam unpack his bags.".-

They stepped into the house and went straight to Sam's room. Both Andy and Sarah told him about their talk at the cafeteria. So the friendly-but-not-too-much conversation between them didn't surprise him. That day at the hospital, Sam didn't know how Sarah knew all about his relationship with McNally, nor how he had been able not to kiss Andy senseless when he heard how she defended them both. Ah right, that was because they didn't even kissed since they had decided to start over. That was until Andy Overthinking McNally , started to wonder how long they had to keep this torture going, 'cause even if she had agreed with all that "Slow is better " philosophy, it was about time to kiss again.

_Flashback_

_So, she decided to cut the crap out. The morning after the talk with Sarah, she arrived just when the nurse was leaving the room, and when she stepped inside, the look on her face told Sam she had a mission. He didn't even know when she got that close to him, but he did remembered the strength she had showed when she'd cupped his face and kissed him. When they broke the kiss she was just as shocked as him. _

"_I….You….. wow!". That made her blush, like, furiously.  
"I didn't mean to scare you, but I really needed to kiss you. Like, immediately."-  
"I'm glad you did it, McNally. Now, come here"- he shifted a little to make room for her on the bed –"I have to tell you some good news"-  
She laid down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder -"I'm going home soon"-  
She didn't know how to stop the rush of joy and adrenaline that was coursing through her body, so instead of jumping up and down, she pulled him in to another mind-blowing kiss._

_-"Ok McNally, you have to stop kissing me like that, or I won't be able to stop myself."  
She giggled and kissed him again before resting her head on his shoulder again._

_-" we have all the time in the world, haven't we?"-  
That was music to Sam's ears.  
_

_END Flashback  
_

Back at Sam's in the present

-"Do you want me to come with you?"-  
-"Absolutely not Sam. You have to rest. Look, I'll call you after the meeting. Promise me you won't spend the entire afternoon worrying for me and calling Oliver"-  
-"He told you, didn't he?"  
-" No, Celery told me you were a pain yesterday. She came to the station when he was about to head to the hospital just to broke your phone".-  
-"I'll try OK? Just call me once you're done"-  
She smiled and put her arms around his neck. He thought she was gonna kiss him. Instead, when their noses were barely touching, she whispered –"I'll call you and I'll be here as soon as possible. "- She kissed him, said bye to Sarah and left. 

Patrol car

-"How's Chloe?"-  
-" She's healing. Slowly. Very, VERY, slowly. And she's nervous. And there's Wes. Argh, why did he transfer? Does he want Chloe back?"-  
-" Dov, I think you have to relax a little. First of all, Chloe chose you, right?"- Dov nodded- " For second, you can't be afraid of him. If, he's a threat for you two, you will fight. For now, do not show any sign of weakness"-

Dov seemed to relax -"what about you and Holly ? Are you a couple?"-  
-"If you would've came home a little more, you would have known she basically lives with us."  
_"1509, 1504 needs backup at 19876 Victoria street"  
_Dov picked the speaker – "1509 on our way"

At the scene

-" He's a 912. Do we have to call Blackstone?" - Luke asked-  
Steve sighed and said -"Let the coroner take him to the morgue. We'll have a little more time. We can't let Jacob cut us out".-  
-" Fine. Gail," - Luke called – " tell them they can take him away. I'll tell Traci to head there and assist to the exams."-

Meanwhile at the station 

-"How did you found out officer Cruz was bipolar?"- 

-"We casually found a small box of pills, and then we were in quarantine and the doctor asked us to strip out of our clothes in order to disinfect us and I saw the same box."- 

-"Why didn't you report it?"-  
-" Because at the time she was fine. She's a very good cop and I guess I didn't think she would have stopped taking her meds"- 

- "why did you think she stopped?"- 

-"Is that even important for your investigation?"- 

-" I'm just trying to find the truth Officer McNally"

-"you want the truth? Truth is, officer Cruz is a tough cop. What happened with Kevin Ford has nothing to do with her abilities. He's sick and I believe that whatever division would have arrested him, would have dealt with the same problem. However, I think officer Cruz showed her limits in this profession, not being able to continue her therapy and putting a lot of people in danger. Not report what I knew was a big mistake too, and I put people in danger as well. I will accept whatever punishment you'd decide." 

-"I will, officer. Dismissed ".- 

Detective's office 

-"Hey Traci, did you find anything?"-

Traci found incredible how Steve brought a smile on her face with a simple sentence.  
-" Yes, Simon Cameron, 26, previously arrested for domestic disturbance and robbery". -  
-"wow….What a career."-  
-" Tell me about it. I'm the one who arrested him a year and a half ago for that robbery."-  
-"and now he's dead."-  
-" yes, he is. But I'm pretty sure he didn't have that tattoo on his forearm back then".-  
-"Are you sure?"-  
-"yep. I mean, it was summer and he was a tough one. He fought a lot and punched the officer in bookings. I think I would have noticed the tattoo. Plus, we didn't book him in the gang register. And we do it whether the crime is related or not with a gang". -  
-"Ok. Anyway, do you want to go out early today?"-  
-"Actually I'm going out now. Leo is sick so Dex is bringing him home earlier, so I…."-  
-"Ok. Call me if you need anything ok?"-  
She nodded and he kissed her. After a couple of minutes, they broke apart and Traci headed to the locker room. 

Frank office 

-"Officers, thank you for coming. I have to tell you the measures taken for your conduct. Collins, you won't be suspended, because we don't have enough people at the station, but you're going to be on desk duty and bookings for 5 weeks"-  
Nick nodded –"Thank sir".-  
-"You don't have to thank me. You can leave now".- 

He got up from the chair and left.

-"Andy, you've been suspended again. You should have told me about Marlo, I would have figured out something…"-  
-"I know. I guess I didn't believe she would have stopped the therapy"-  
-"They gave you 3weeks of suspension and 2 weeks of desk duty. I think you owe a thank you to Callaghan, cause he didn't say anything about Marlo's notepad, but he recognized you handwriting. What were you and Sam thinking? You could've been both fired!"-  
-"I'll call Luke to thank him" – she paused for a second then spoke again –"What about Sam?"-  
-" I'm going to head to his house to tell him the terms of his suspension".-  
-"Can you give me a ride then?"-  
-"Sure."- 

Sam's house 

Sam was pacing around worried because Andy hadn't called him yet. He heard the doorbell ringing and was at the front door in no time.

-"McNally you're going to be the death of me."- He said opening the door.  
-"Swarek, nice thing to hear from someone who just got shot."  
-"Frank…."- 

Andy stepped inside and kissed him on the cheek. 

-"I'm sorry I didn't call, after the interview he called us in his office and mobiles were not allowed. Then he was heading here too…."-  
-"It's ok. I wasn't that worried.." – he lied. He turned to Frank again and shifted from his position to allow him to come inside.  
-"So Frank, want to give me some news?- 

-"Yes Sam. They decided to give you 5 weeks of suspension, which will be more or less the time you'll need to heal completely. We're going to consider your recovery time, as the time of your suspension. No need to say you've been really lucky".- 

Sam sighed. He knew there was something Frank wasn't saying. 

-"Ok now I have to go. Olivia is sick and Noelle needs help. I'll see you two"-  
Once Frank left, Andy sat down on the couch near Sam.  
-"Luke found out about Marlo's notepad."-  
Sam's eyes widened –"Did he…?"-  
-"No, he didn't say anything. He recognized my handwriting. I should call him and thank him".- 

Sam didn't really like the idea of owing Luke . But this time, he saved them both, so they owed him that much. The only problem was that Sarah wasn't at home, so this would be the only time alone they would have for a while. And calling Luke wasn't exactly how he wanted to spend this time.  
So he just kissed her. No need to say, things were far from a simple kiss, and Andy stopped because she was afraid to hurt him. He understood, but was a little disappointed. 

-"Sam I don't want to hurt you. Plus, we're on the couch, and I don't want your sister to catch us…"- 

-"No problem McNally".- He took her hand and led her to his bedroom. 

-"Don't worry McNally. I'm in too much pain to do other than kiss you".- 

-" I'm not worried, Sam. I know how to behave"- She giggled-

-"You do uh? What if I don't?"- 

She laid on his good side and said :- " You better learn then"- 

She kissed him hard and his hands were already finding their way on her body when they heard 

-"SAM! I'M AT HOME!"- 

He groaned and got up –"What am I gonna do these 5 weeks?"- 

Andy got up as well and put her hand on his –"I'm sure you'll find something to entertain you"-

-"Any idea officer McNally?"- 

-"Of course! Vernissages, Literature clubs, cooking courses…"- 

He didn't know how to stop her so he kissed her again. They laid on the bed for a while, in a comfortable silence, here and there interrupted by their kisses. They were almost asleep when Andy softly said –"What about Boo?"-  
-"Uh?"-  
-"Boo Radley. We can spend these three weeks training our dog"-  
If Sarah wouldn't have stumbled in the room, they would have forget about gunshot wounds, suspensions and self control. 

Sorry for the wait!  
I had a lot of exams so I had to focus on that.  
I hope it was worth the wait.

I just want to say I like both Luke and Nick, so I don't want them to be the bad guys.

I also put Traci in this chapter, but I had to exclude Chris, Celery and Sarah.

Let me know your opinion or any possible idea with your reviews 

Thank you so much!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


	7. So far so good

5x06 - So far so good 

**At the hospital**

-"Let me help you Dov!"-  
-" no, it's fine really." – He looked at her and she was glaring at him – "What ?"-  
-" I hate you. You're treating me like I'm an idiot. I can take care of myself. This stupid wheelchair won't be an obstacle to me. I won't allow it. And you shouldn't too" –

-"I' m sorry Chloe. I'm just worried, my mother said that you shouldn't move too much.."-  
-"I KNOW! I know. You've already told me a million of times. Please stop. "-  
-" Ok. My deal is: I let you carry this bag, if you stop whining about taking your meds. Deal?"-  
-"deal….."- she sighed and looked at Dov – " I can't believe I'm finally going out. I've been here forever, and I know I shouldn't be complaining, but I'm really scared."-  
-" We're in this together, 15 is a family. And at least we don't have to worry about food. We could feed the station for a month." -  
She laughed for the first time in a month and said :-" Maybe we should tell them to come over. Which brought us to the point: Where am I going to live?"-  
-" Oh don't worry…..You can stay with me….If you want I mean…Gail and Holly are never at home and Chris is going to sleep on Emperor Caesar"-  
-" I'm sorry who?"-  
-" Caesar…it's Andy's old spare bed….we call it Emperor Caesar cause it's elder than the roman empire…"-  
-" I guess I should thank everyone then. Especially Caesar"- 

**At the station**

Nick was walking into the station when he noticed a young woman pacing around the front entrance.

_"May I help you?" – She looked scared so Nick offered to help her inside.  
Once they got inside Nick made her sit in front of a desk and tried to understand what was her problem.  
-" You want to tell me your name?"-  
-" Carly. " -  
-" Ok Carly, is there something wrong?"-  
She picked up her purse from the floor and slowly took something that looked like a USB device and handed it to Nick. He inserted the device on the PC and she told him to press play.  
The video showed a man tortured to death, and at the end of the record he read :

_No happily ever after for this rat._

-"What does it mean?"-

She took a long breath as to catch all the strength she had.  
-"Officer Carly Foster, 41 division. The man in the tape was detective Andrew Lockart. We've been undercover for a year and a half. Someone knew and said everything to the boss"-  
Nick's eyes widened – "Were you working for a gang?"-  
-"Yes…"-  
-"I'm sorry, I have to ask you to come with me, I'll take you to the sergeant office, you'll be safe there. "-  
-"Officer I spent almost two years watching my back I can smell if someone is hiding something to me. There's something you're not telling me."-  
Nick waited till they were in front of Frank's office far from the other officers.  
-" I can't tell you too much. Sergeant Best is going to tell you everything you need to know. But I can say that your partner is not the first victim."- 

With that, Nick knocked at Frank's door-  
-"Sir, Can I talk to you? It's very important"-  
-"I'm busy Collins, this better be really important"-  
-"It is. Sir, She is Carly Foster." – Nick shifted from the door to let her come into the office. – "I think is better if she tells you everything. I'll going to call detective Peck and detective Callaghan. With your permission, Sir." -  
Nick went straight to the detectives and Frank looked at the woman in front of him: " So , who are you?" -  
And she started to tell him all the story. 

**Sam's house**

-" Ok I'm going back to St Catharines. You won't believe it, but apparently I still have a life on my own. I 'll be back next week to bring you with me for the rest of you susp….sick leave. Ok?"-  
- " Ok, call me when you're home… Bye Sarah." -  
She hopped in the car and left. But she didn't go too far away.

**At the station**

Chris walked in Frank's office and informed him that a very pissed Jacob Blackstone was waiting for him and the UC officer in Interrogation1..  
They headed to the room together and almost instantly Jacob started yelling

– " What's wrong with this station? You really have some serious problems in following orders. I told you to stay away from my investigation"-  
Frank closed the door quietly and walked into the room, stopping in front of the detective.

-" I suggest you to lower your voice. I'm the one who gives orders here, and you're the one who follows them. Now, I suggest you to work with my detectives and officer Foster, because the situation is worse than we thought. They caught one of your UC officers, so you're officially relieved from the head of the investigation. Elaine Peck charged me and Ferretti from 27th to create a task force in order to resolve this case, so if you want to be included in the group you better shut up" - 

With that Frank opened the door and walked to Parade.  
-"Alright everybody, this story is out of control. We have to find one of our UC officers so we need to focus on every possible lead. So, if you have a sneak, go to talk to them. If you don't have any, hunt high and low for random criminals. Do whatever you can to find something useful. Dismissed"- 

****

Andy's condo

Andy was almost ready to head to Sam's apartment when the doorbell rang.  
-"Sarah! Wow, that's a surprise. I thought you were already on the road."-  
-" In fact I should be. That's why I greeted you yesterday. But I couldn't leave without talking to you"-  
-"Ok, you want to come inside?"-

-"No, it's fine. It won't take too much time. I just wanted to tell you that I'll be away for a little more than a week, after that, Sam's going to come with me to St Catharines, because he needs some fresh air, and you are going back to work. I don't like to ask for favors, but I have to. Sam is doing better, but there are some things he still can't do. I normally would have asked Oliver, but since you're Sam's girlfriend, or whatever, can you please check on him?"-  
-"Of course I will. You didn't even have to ask. "- Andy paused a little then spoke again – "Are you sure you don't want to come inside?"-  
-" No , I should go. I'm late and I have to work tomorrow. Thank you Andy. Bye." -  
She turned around to leave the condo, when she heard Andy calling after her -  
-"Oh, and Sarah?! I am indeed Sam's girlfriend."-  
With that Andy closed the front door and Sarah left the condo smirking and satisfied. 

**Patrol car**

-"Gail don't touch my mobile"-  
-"Come on Chris I'm not Dov, I won't hurt your precious phone. …..Anyway , how's Caesar?"-

-"Just fine. Hard as rock as usual."-  
-"It's still a better alternative than the bench in the bullpen."  
-"Manny Lamb!"-  
-"What? What does Manny have to do with poor old Caesar?"-  
-"No! We have to find him. If somebody knows something about Lockart it's him."-  
-"Let's find Manny boy then."

**Frank's office**

Elaine Peck stepped into the office after a long meeting with the Mayor, in which she informed him about the current situation of the gang feud.

-"Good evening sergeants. Have you put the names together yet?"-  
Best let her sit at his desk, and said –" Yes, 15 division is going to be the designed location. The officers selected are: Diaz, Peck, Benton, Collins, Simmons and Cole; Obviously, detectives Nash, Callaghan and Peck will work full time on the case too."-  
-"What about you Ferretti?"-  
-"I selected detective O'Connor, Quinn and Rosati, as well as officers Donovan, Marks, and Crawford."-  
-"And who's going to lead the TF?-  
-"We designed detective Callaghan and detective Blackstone, Sir."-  
-"Ok, then call everyone. We have no time to lose."- 

**Sam's house  
**

-" McNally did you buy the salesman and the cash register too? Or are they the only things you left at the grocery store?"-  
-"So funny Sam. I brought anything you might need. You can't drive yet, and you aren't willing to ask for help."-  
-"Yes Colonel McNally…..How about we start dinner?"-  
-"How about I start dinner and you keep on watching football"-  
-"ahah!…I rather be here and make sure you don't burn the house."-  
-"Well Swarek, in other circumstances you'd have slept on the couch. But today, I'm high-minded"-  
-"I consider myself lucky for that"-  
After they ate, Andy brought Boo to a walk while Sam washed the dishes. 

**Task Force Office  
**

-"Collins did you put all the pictures on the wall?"-  
-"Yep. Luke, why a task force?"-  
-"Because we still have 19 cops working UC with these gangs…and we need to stop this feud before innocent people are brought in this mess too."-  
Chris and Gail rushed into the room. Out of breath Gail explained what Manny said them.  
-"Peck are you saying there's more than one fink?"-  
-"Yes sir. "-  
-"Great. As if it wasn't bad enough trying to chase a rat."-  
-"Detective, our informer also told us that he heard a couple of Cobras talking about going to the woods . He also saw them put some shovels in the back of a truck."-  
-"have you told Frank?"-  
-"Of course. He called all the patrols back. Parade is in 5 minutes."- 

**Sam's house**

Andy opened the front door and saw Sam fast asleep on the couch. She smiled and shook him.  
He woke up immediately and she stretched her hand out.

-"let's go to bed"-

He got up -"I like the sound of that"-  
Andy smiled -"I'm going to have a shower first. Boo is a runner."-  
Sam laughed a bit -"Ok. I'll wait for you."- 

**Parade room**

The normally loud parade room was unusually quiet when Frank arrived.

-"Ok officers. We have new informations. A UC cop has been taken by the gang he was working for. Apparently a couple of Cobras went to the woods with a lot of tools. We found an area near which they used to bury their victims. We have to sift that area. Detective Blackstone is going to split you up in 5 teams. Updates every 10 minutes. Dismissed."- 

Everyone was bracing himself for a very long night. 

**Sam's house**

-"McNally, tell me how you expect me to sleep when you're pacing around our bedroom with nothing but a towel on."-  
Andy just smirked at him and let the towel fall on the floor. Sam swallowed loud and laid Andy on the bed.

An hour later they laid on the bed exhausted and almost asleep.

-"I love you Andy"-

She turned to look at him. She had a smile plastered on her face and it wasn't gonna leave anytime soon.

-"I love you too, Sam. I'm so happy."-  
They kissed again for a while then fell in a peaceful sleep, for the first time in a long time.

**Thanks for the amazing reviews!**

**I had a little writer's block. I don' t want to make Sarah a permanent character, 'cause just like "she" said, she has a life in St. Chaterines . Again, I didn't put all the characters again, but imagine that they would all be in parade room or hanging around division. **

**Let me know what you think or write down your suggestions . **


	8. Six feet under

5x07 – Six feet under

**Somewhere near Toronto.**

After an entire night spent looking for detective Lockart, all the officers were tired and down-hearted. That was until Gail and Chris found a couple of stubs.

Immediately Gail took the radio and spoke -"This is team 05. We found something"-

All the teams joined them and started to look for every possible sign or footprint, until Luke saw a small cloth sticking out from the soil.

They found exactly what they were dreading the most: the body of the UC detective, and not too far away, 3 other unknown bodies.

Once the scene was cleared all the officers in charge of the Op were sent home.

**At the station **

Blackstone arrived at the station in the evening to hear about the updates and the autopsies. He found Luke, Steve and Traci reading the reports.

-"Has the coroner called?"-  
Luke took one of the copies and handed it to Jacob –"Detective Lockart's cause of death were the injuries of the tortures. They haven't examined the other victims yet, but at first look, we know that they were 2 men and a woman, and that they all had a tattoo. A phoenix for her. And a cobra and a 912 for the men."-  
-"Are you saying they were with the Phoenix and with the Cobra's gang?"-  
-"Most likely. We have to wait for the results of the exams. Seeing the condition of the bodies, we can say they haven't been there for more than 2 months"-  
Blackstone went to the desk and started searching in the Guns and Gangs database, for possible disappearance of gang members, in the last 3 months. He found 6 missing people. Two of them were with the Phoenix, 2 with the Cobras, and 2 with 912s.

-"Alright, this is more than I was expecting. 6 missing people, 2 for each gang. It means that the missing girl who worked with the Phoenix is most likely our female victim. Jessica Palermo, 22, daughter of Damien Palermo, former head of the phoenix gang" – He looked at her criminal record – "She's been in jail twice. Once for dealing and once for shoplifting"-  
Traci thought about the situation then spoke –"You didn't mention a single reason the other gangs might have had to kill her. Every gang owns a limited area. Only the gang that owns that area can sell drugs there. And being her the daughter of one of the worst criminals of Toronto, I highly doubt she was stupid enough to sell drugs out of her area"-

Steve was looking at the pictures of the missing criminals, when he noticed a connection between 2 of them.

-" Blackstone look at him"- He pointed at the picture of a young boy –" He's Martin Bale. He's with the phoenix's too" –

Blackstone stared at the screen –"Where did I heard that name before?"- He started tapping his finger on the keyboard -  
-"He's Damien Palermo love child" – He read his file and continued – "his mother, Dorothy Bale had him when she was 16. She died 8 years ago. From what we know, Martin never knew about his father before her death"-  
-"I dare to say it didn't happened by chance that his criminal career started 8 years ago too"- Traci said -"He was only 15 back then, and he never went to foster care. It's safe to say his father took him under his wing"-

Luke printed the files and started reading them, leaving the two already analyzed to the other detectives, and focusing on the other four.

**Sam's house**

Sam and Andy spent the day just watching TV and doing a few exercises the doctor had ordered Sam, in addition to the physical therapy. In the evening, Andy went to his dad's , and Sam was alone and having an hard time in deciding what was better to order between Chinese, Mexican, or pizza. He was indeed getting better, but there were still a lot of things he wasn't able to do, like cooking or driving or working, and after almost 4 weeks he was on the edge. Plus, he really didn't want to go to St Chatarines. Sure, he was happy to spent some time with her sister, but he had the feeling that there were still some things he and Andy had to figure out. Besides, he didn't want to leave her alone, and above all, he didn't want to be away from her for an entire week.

He decided to order pizza for him and Andy, when he heard a knock on his door. He opened and found Luke, Jacob, Steve and Traci on the other side.  
The first to step into the house was Traci, followed by Steve, and the other two.

He would have thought about a friendly visit, if it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't really in good terms with Blackstone, and the homicide detective was his girlfriend's former boyfriend.

-"Uhm… not to be rude but….What are you doing here guys?"-  
Traci was walking through the house looking for something… or someone

–"Where's Andy?"-

Steve elbowed her –"You promised…. "-

Sam rolled his eyes and was about to ask the reason of their visit again, when Jacob started to speak, to fill the silence of the room.

–" We're working on a case. We are in the middle of a gang feud, and there are already been at least 4 murders. There's someone who's spilling a lot of secrets about rats inside the gangs and other stuff. The last victim we found was a UC detective, Andrew Lockart"-  
-"Andrew Lockart from 27th?"- Sam asked –"I was undercover with him once"-  
Jacob kept on talking –" It's him. We found him in the woods, and not too far from him we found three other bodies. The girl was Jessica Palermo, daughter of Damian. And we just found out the men were Tanner Benton, son of Jason Benton, head of the 912"-  
Sam's rubbed his face and said -"Aren't Palermo and Benton both in jail?"-  
It was Luke's turn to speak –" Yes, they are. And the other is Lucas Cooper, who worked with the Cobras. He is the third victim."

Traci continued – "We still have the other 3 missing persons to place in the story. Felicia Cooper, sister of Lucas and member of the Cobra gang , but not officially connected with the heads of the organization; Michael Stevens, son of Eddie, head of the 912; And Martin Bale, Jessica Palermo's brother and member of the Phoenix's."-  
Sam stopped listening to her when he heard Felicia's name, and then he tried to focus on when and where he had heard her name before. When he got there his eyes widened:

– "Felicia is indeed connected. Her mother is Tina Jackson, wife of Chuck Jackson, head of the Cobra gang. I met her when I was UC, she hung around with one of my informers, Emily, and she always brought her daughter with her. Lucas and Felicia's last name is Cooper because they aren't Chuck's kids, for his wife had them before she met him. Emily had always thought they were the designed heirs of Chuck's business"-

Steve took a beer from the fridge and said – "Do you guys think it's normal that the 6 heirs of the most important gangs in town are either dead or missing?"-

The detectives were lost in their thoughts when Andy walked in.

-"is there a meeting of the detectives secret league?"-  
Sam chuckled and Steve said –"You're spending way too much time with your boyfriend McNally"-  
Sam knew Andy wouldn't be very happy if she knew he was working but he had to be honest with her. He lead her to their bedroom and explained her the situation.

-" Sam we are suspended. We can't help with the investigation. Plus, you're still healing and you can't tire yourself out."-  
-"I know Andy. But I can be really helpful for them, cause I know most of this people. Look, I promise you I won't overdo ok?"-  
She sighed unsure of what was best for him. She figured that as long as he didn't overdo, he would be fine. Besides, Andy had noticed that he was a little annoyed with all the 'relax and don't work' situation, so maybe this would be a good way to keep himself busy during the rest of the suspension.

-"Fine. But I'll help too" – he was about to protest but she stopped him – " No buts. I have to keep an eye on you"-

She smiled at him and hugged him impossibly tight. He stopped before the situation went out of control and sighed –" I just hope they won't stay too long…."-  
-"Are you tired old man?"- She smirked and he groaned

-"I'll show you old man later McNally.."- Now it was his turn to smirk at her.

_The detectives left at 8:30 pm. In the morning, Steve came over again , followed after a few hours by Jacob. They went to the station at 1 o'clock, leaving Sam and Andy reading the criminal records and the results of the autopsies of all the victims. They follow this routine of secret visits from the detectives and working late nights, until Sarah came back. _

**At the hospital**

-"Mr Swarek it's good to see you again"-  
-" Can't say the same , Doc."- . The doctor just smiled and started the exams.

45 minutes later he was grinning from ear to ear, because the doctor said that in 2 weeks, more or less, he should be able to work again. Little did he and Sarah knew, he was already working.

-"So, Sammy, have you packed your bags?"-

He sighed audibly and nodded.

-" What? You don't want to come with me?"-  
-"It's not like that…..It's just…"-  
-"it's just that you don't want to leave Andy here"-  
He sighed again. He figured it was just easier to say yes to her suspects, because she would be pissed if she knew he was working with the TF. He managed a - "yes" – and dropped the topic.

**Sam's house**

By the time they got into the house it was already noon. Andy would come over after her meeting in the HQ and he was a little worried. She arrived at 2 o'clock smiling from ear to ear.

-"I take your smile as a good sign, McNally"-  
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. The situation was quickly going out of control, but Sarah was at home having a shower, so they had to get a hold of themselves.

-"It is a good sign indeed, detective Swarek. I'll start work Tuesday"-  
They hugged again, then they went to their bedroom and started preparing Sam's bag.

-"Are you ready to go to St. Chatarines?"-  
-"Are you?"-  
Truth is she was torn between the desire to be with Sam 24/7 like they were, even if they were working half of the time, and a couple of times they'd woken up in their bed covered of files and pictures, and the fact she didn't want to give them the impression she was some crazy, overly- jealous girlfriend.

She weakly nodded and Sam clearly saw she wasn't very sure about her own answer.

-"McNally, say a single word, and I'll unpack my bag, now."-  
-"NO!"- she almost screamed – "I mean…I do want you to stay here, but it's not fair to you. I have to go to the meetings with the shrink and with Frank. Besides, you made a promise to your sister."-  
He sighed but an idea was already crossing his mind.

-"I'll be back in a minute. Hang in there"- 

He knocked on his sister's room

-"You decent Sar?"-  
-"Yep. Come in"-  
-"Sar, I have to ask you a huge favor…"- She already had a suspect about what his request was about but she let him talk -  
-"Can I ask Andy to come to St Chatarines for the WE?"-  
Yep, she was right. She wasn't exactly on cloud 9, but she didn't want his brother to mope around the house like a lost puppy, and maybe if Andy went to St Chatarines for a few days, she would worry a little less about Sam. So she said yes.

-"Thank you, Sarah. I let you finish packing your bag. "- 

He went to his room again, and Andy was on the phone.

-"…of course….yes, I know Mrs. Nash. Ok, I have an idea. If Dex calls again, you call me and I will go and take Leo ok?...Bye"-  
She stepped away from the window and saw Sam.

-"Everything ok with Nash?"-  
-"Yep, it's just that Dex is being an jerk. He found out Traci and Steve are seeing each other, and now every time he has Leo , he finds an excuse to call Traci to pick him up and stuff…."- she stopped rambling and focused his attention on Sam again –"Where did you go?"

-"I had to ask something to Sarah"- he got closer to her, unsure of what her reaction would be –"I asked Sarah if I could ask you to come over during the WE. She said yes…" –He got even closer – "Would you?" –

After a few seconds of confusion, she smiled and said –"I'd love to"-

**Hey folks **

**Here's the new chapter. **

**I want to explain a few things:**

**I intentionally used the form "OUR bedroom", although Sam and Andy are NOT living together (YET), cause I found inappropriate to say "my" or "his" when they obviously are sleeping together.**

**They are sleeping together in every acceptation of the word. Sam's not completely healed, but you know….carefully….**

**I brought Emily in the story, but she won't be a part of it. Neither will Anton Hill.**

**Let me know what you think with your reviews! **

**I wish you an amazing new year!**


	9. Burned

5x08 – Burned

**Tuesday morning- 15 division**

It was Andy's first shift back at work, and although she hated desk duty, she was happy to be back. Last week-end had been amazing, and she didn't really wanted to leave, but Sam told her he would've been fine. Most important, he told her he would miss her. They spent their time mostly at home, but Sarah took them to a fancy restaurant on Saturday evening. Sunday, they went to the mall and back home to spent the rest of the day just watching movies and cuddling. Monday they went to the local hospital and the doctor told Sam he was allowed to drive. He told Andy to take his truck to drive back, for she came to St Catharines with it, but she refused and took the train. After spending part of the night reading reports and statements with her new roomies, Chris and Boo, she woke up on the couch with a glorious headache. It was almost lunch time when Jacob told her to meet the TF in the office. When she arrived, detectives and officers from both 15 and 27 were there.

-" Guys, she's Andy McNally, she's joining us in the investigation. Ok, down to business. Diaz, Nash, I want you to go to the hospital. Logan Samuelson, the only survivor so far, woke up this morning. I want his statement as soon as possible. Detective Peck, Detective Rosati, you're going to visit the families of Martin Bale and Michael Stevens . Marks, Simmons, I want you outside officer Foster's house. The rest of you is going to notify the families of the 3 victims.

All the coppers got up and went back to work-

-"McNally you have to stay inside the division, so you're going to help us archive and analyze the files. I'm going to debrief Frank and Elaine Peck, Callaghan is on his way "- 

-" Yes, Sir"- 

Now, she seriously wanted to go home, and sleep till Friday. But no, the day was just starting and it could only get better. Or not.

**At the hospital**

Chris and Traci were waiting outside Samuelson 's room, because the doctor was examining him.

-"How's Andy? I didn't have the time to talk to her… or calling her…."-

-"She's fine. She just came back from St Chatarines."-  
-"St Catharines?"-  
-"Yes she went to Sam sister's house for the week end. I was alone with their dog"-  
-"Their what?"-  
-" they have a dog, Boo. He lives with Sam, but they weren't there so I took him for the WE."-

-"OMG, I have to call her"-  
-"Why don't you come over tonight? Dov's coming too"-  
-"What about Chloe?"-  
-"She wanted to go to Frank's tonight. She said that she wanted to talk to Noelle, but I think she wants to give Dov some free time"-

-"Ok, I'll ask my mother to keep Leo"- 

They were sipping their coffees when the doctor came back and allowed them to question Logan Samuelson.

-"Mr Samuelson, I'm detective Nash. I'm here to question you about your accident. First of all, did you see who did this to you?"-

He nodded.

-"Do you know his/her name?"-

He nodded again.

-"Can you tell me his/her name?"- 

He shook his head this time.

Chris noticed his fear and tried to reassure him – "Sir, I'm going to call the station to send a couple of officers to look after you. But you have to help us with the investigation"- 

He finally nodded and Chris went to the waiting room to call the station. A nurse asked Traci to leave the room while she changed the bandages.

**Tina Cooper's house.**

By the time Gail and Dov stepped into Tina Cooper's house, they immediately sensed something was off. Her mother was way too much willing to tell them what they wanted to know and sometimes her eyes went to the stairs for a second, as if to see if someone was there. When they asked her the reason she was constantly glancing upstairs, she basically kicked them out. But they were at a victim's house and they didn't have a warrant so they went away.

-"Why do you think she was so worried?"- 

-"I don't know Dov, but I still think we should have insisted on going upstairs"- 

-"We don't have a warrant. We have to ask for it and then came back.."- 

-"Yeah and in the meantime, whatever, or whoever, was upstairs won't be there anymore."- 

-"Did you have that impression too? I mean, that someone else was there?"- 

-"Yes."- 

-"Do you think Tina was there?"-

**At the station**

Andy and Luke were examining the tapes of the store near the place where the Cobras guys had been seen taking the tools. They were scanning the images when Luke noticed a hidden person.

-"Look at it!"- He screamed. 

-"It looks like…. No it's impossible….she looks like Tina Cooper"-

Just then, Gail and Dov stepped inside.

-"Hey guys. We were at Tina and Lucas Cooper's house. Her mother was weird"- said Dov. 

-"Like really, really weird"- continued Gail

Luke already had a suspect but wanted to be sure before – "Weird as if she was hiding something?"- 

Gail followed his thoughts –"We were thinking more like someone."- 

Andy turned the screen to allow everyone to see –"Someone like Tina Cooper?"-

Dov looked at the screen and almost had an heart attack. –"We were right! We have to come back with the warrant!"-

-"I don't think so. " – Blackstone interjected – " If we go there again with a warrant she's going to run away and we're going to lose track of her."-

Luke rubbed his forehead and sighed – "Blackstone is right. We finally have something new to work about, we can't be reckless."-

-" but what about the other squads? Did the other families acted weird too?"- asked Gail 

-"no they didn't report anything like that."-

_**In the meantime someone was back on track, or better truck, and was driving to Toronto. **_

**At the hospital**

Chris was talking to the doctor while Tracy was on the phone with Jacob who was telling her about the latest news, when a couple of nurses and a doctor rushed into the witness room, only to declare the time of death. While he was reaching the door, Chris noticed a familiar face near the elevator.

-"Officers, I'm sorry. He suffered a brain hemorrhage. We didn't noticed it during the X-Ray and we weren't able to stop it. He didn't make it."-

The doctor went to sign some papers and Chris and Tracy went inside the room.

-"Tracy don't touch anything and call Jacob."-

-"Why?"- 

-"I think I saw Michael Bale near the elevator before he died."-

-"What? I was on the phone with Jacob and he told me Luke and Andy saw Tina Cooper in one of the tapes. She looked fine except for a bandage on the arm when she got the tattoo."-

-"Michael Bale had a wound on the forearm too. It looked like his forearm was burnt."-

Half an hour later Jacob, Gail, Dov and Holly with her team arrived.

Chris and Tracy informed them about Michael Bale and his burned arm.

The more they thought about the situation, the weirder it became.

-"We have two possibilities"- Tracy said –"Either they're still hiding , or they're under someone's orders."-

-"Or maybe we're treating them like normal missing people and not like missing criminals" – Everyone looked at Jacob with wide eyes –" What if they were all taken by the same people and the half of them were killed. The three survivors could be the ones who are killing these people in order to save their lives."

-"Or they escaped and now they're looking for vengeance"- . Now they all turned to look at Dov amazed. He looked back at them confused –"What?"-

-"Nerd" – Gail patted on his back – "You just had the best idea of your entire life. Drinks are on you tomorrow night."-

**Andy's condo**

Andy and Chris were finally at home, starting dinner and waiting for Tracy and Dov, when Andy's phone beeped. She looked at the screen and noticed a text from Sam

-_Can you check my house? My neighbors called me cause there's a door banging and it's driving them crazy. See you soon. Love you.-_

Chris can I take your car? I have to go to Sam's house. I'll be back in a few.

**Sam's house**

He put the truck on his garage to hide it from Andy and unpacked his bag. He was really eager to see her, even if he saw her the day before.

Anyway he didn't heard the front door opening cause the sleep took the best on him while waiting.

-"SAM!"- she gasped when she saw him – "when did you get back? I wasn't expecting you till Friday! Oh Sam I missed you so much" –

But he only understood the "SAM!" part, cause he was too busy waking up and then she kissed him and his mind was on another planet.

-" I was going crazy, and I was driving Sarah crazy too. I…..I missed you too McNally"-

They were making out for a good half an hour on the couch when her phone ringed.

-"Chris I forgot!...no…no I'm fine really!"- she glanced at Sam for a second, as if asking a silent question. At his nod she spoke again – " Look I know it's big big favor, but can you ask Tracy to leave you her car?"- She looked through the window this time, hoping for a positive answer –"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Bye Chris, say hi to them for me. And tell Trace we will talk tomorrow!"-

She hung up and felt Sam's arms on her waist

-" Are you staying?"-

She nodded and let her head rest on his chest. –"Steve was going to come over anyway, so he's going to give Tracy a ride, and she can leave Chris and Dov her car. See, all set."-

-"We should call that house 'the rookies HQ'. "-

She playfully smacked him –"detective Swarek, you're going to pay for your assertions"-

-"Oh, and what do you have in mind, officer McNally"-

She grinned and led him to the bedroom

**Andy's Condo**

-"So they're back together? For good?"- Tracy said  
-"I knew it!"- Dov screamed with his mouth full of food.

-"I think this is the right time. They're trying to talk, and they're trying to figure out how to make it work…so yes… I like to think this time's for good."- 

-"and they bought a dog"- Tracy was in full detective mode

-"that they did.."- 

-"What's going to happen now that Sam's back? Who is he going to live with?"- 

-"I think he's going to live with Sam. And I hope Andy is going to live there too."- 

-"Isn't it too soon? Chris you were there more than me when he left…"-  
-"Come on Tracy…I spent the last half an hour telling you how he has changed…. Give him a little credit.."-

-"I'm worried about him too….. I got to know him a little more…and he was just as heartbroken as she was….. I think They've both been burned a lot by love."-

-"But he asked Marlo out anyway"-

-"Dov, I'm not used to your wisdom. Please, be careful or you're gonna give me a heart attack!"-

They spent the rest of the evening laughing and eating. Steve came over just as planned and Tracy left them her car.

**Sam's house**

-"Is it selfish to say that I'm happy you came back early?"-

He chuckled -" I don't think so. But, as much as I want to sleep in late with you, you lucky girl still have to go to work tomorrow….so maybe it's better if you get some sleep"-

-"I wouldn't be so tired if you didn't tire me out"- she laughed

-"I didn't hear you complaining" – He kissed her

-"I wasn't"- She kissed him again.

No need to say, they hardly slept that night.

**Sorry for the long wait!**

**I hope it wasn't too fluffy! I'm not planning on bring major problems for Sam and Andy. But I'm not planning a wedding either.**

**I'm trying to move fast, because it's already 5x08 and Sam is not working yet! **

**I wanted to inform you that the detective Rosati in the story is Jo. She works for 27 in the TV series so it made sense.**

**I'm planning on including a character from the past to bring some problems , but I don't know who so I'm asking you.**

**Options are:**

**Donovan Boyd**

**Clare McNally**

**Jo Rosati **

**Let me know **

**THANK YOU for your amazing reviews!**


	10. Show time

**5x09 – Show time**

Another week passed by, and Sam was finally going to start working again. He spent his time alone studying the case and doing physical therapy. The rest of the time Andy was there and their time passed by just watching movies , cuddling and still making up for the lost time. The oh-so-waited day arrived and Andy was more worried than Sam. During her first day she cried for over an hour after passing in front of the place where Sam was shot, and she was worried about his reaction. Sam, on the other side, was almost in a Dov mode: overly excited, rambling, and running all over the house.

-"Come on McNally, I don't want to be late!"-

-"Oh God Sam , can you please calm down? We've got plenty of time, and you don't even have to put the uniform on!"-

-"Andy, I know you. We're going to be late"-

-"Fine, I'll finish getting ready at the station. Happy?"-

-"Yep! Let's go!"-

**Dov's house**

-"Chloe are you sure you don't want me to stay?"- For the last 4 nights, Chloe'd had some very bad nightmares, along with some heavy cramps, and Dov was starting to worry.

-"Dov, it's fine. I've already called Noelle and asked her to take me to the shrink. Please, don't worry, ok?"- She smiled at him and buttoned his shirt. –" Now, officer Epstein, it's time to go to work."-

Dov kissed her and left the house. While Chloe was waiting for Noelle, she decided to go to the grocery store in front of their house. She was allowed to use the stretchers, so it was easier for her to move around. She went to take some ice cream, and saw a strange guy with a big bruise on his arm. She shook the bad feeling he was giving her, paid the bill, and went outside to meet Noelle.

-"Hey!"-

-"Hey, do you need help?"-

-"No I'm fine thanks. I'm trying to be independent, and getting inside a car is not one of the easiest things to do. But I have to do it alone"-

-"Good! It's good to keep your independence."-

-"Noelle, wait a minute."-

-"What's wrong?"-

-"This guy"- She pointed to the guy she saw inside the store – "He's…I don't know he gives me a very bad feeling"-

-"Yeah me too."- She sighed -" But, we're not at work…so let's go to this appointment, and maybe, if you behave, we could also go shopping!"-

-"Ok, let's go!"-

**Parade Room**

-"Alright officers, I have good news! We finally have something to celebrate. Detective Swarek is back and drinks are on him tonight! "-

All the officers cheered and his friends patted him on his back.

-"Now, down to business. Swarek, detective Blackstone requested another detective to work on his TF, and he insisted it should be you. Meet the rest of the task force in Callaghan's office and they would fill you in. For the rest of you, there's been a bank robbery earlier, the robbers are still on the run. I want you to find them! Serve, protect and drinks are on Swarek tonight!"

Sam went straight to Luke's office. Inside the room, he saw Andy and Luke studying some new papers. When he opened the door, Andy immediately looked at him and smiled. He was about to say something when Jacob stepped inside.

-"Ok Swarek. This is our HQ. Andy and Luke are staying here to study the papers, along with you. The officers from 27 won't join us today, because Elaine Peck is paying their district a visit. So, it's the three of you today. I'm going with Peck and Nash. We have to interview some witnesses."-

Jacob left the three of them alone. Sam sat next to Andy and she gave him some reports to read while she and Luke finished theirs. Gail, Dov and Nick joined them after a couple of minutes. After two hours, Andy went to grab a coffee and Gail followed her.

-"I want to talk."-

Andy was surprised. Gail wasn't someone who usually wanted to talk, and she wasn't prepared for what she could say.

-"Ok"-

-"I'm angry."-

-"I know."-

-"No, you don't!"-

Andy was even more confused –"Tell me then"-

-"I think Nick is an idiot. You've always had this power over him….. He's been following you since you broke up with Sam. I already knew it was over. I had the feeling that he was sticking around with me, because he didn't want to leave me after the kidnapping, but after he came back from the UC he convinced me that he was being serious. And I believed him."-

-"Gail…"-

-"What I don't understand is: How could you be so stupid? You messed up you friendship with Nick and you messed up our friendship, or whatever it was, even if you perfectly knew that you weren't over Sam. Tell me: was it really worth it? Lose two friendships for an illusion?"-

-" Gail I can't go back. I can only say I'm sorry. I am. Really. I didn't mean to hurt you , or Nick, or Sam. I…I felt like during the six months I was away, you all grew up and went on with your lives, while we believed that time had stopped here. I stopped living my life the day I went under, and for six months I wasn't allowed to be Andy McNally. The day I came back we expected to start over with our lives, as if it was the day after we left. I think that's why we grew so closed."-

-"It's stupid."-

-"I know"-

-"It's going to take some time."-

-"Take all the time you need."-

They finished their coffees and went back to work.

**County jail**

Jacob, Traci and Steve went to talk to Damien Palermo and Jason Benton, who were both in the same Jail. Jacob decided to talk to Palermo, while Steve talked to Benton. Meanwhile, Traci went to the archive to read the list of their visitors and to interview the guards. The more she read the lists, the more she felt, they weren't investigating about a feud anymore.

-"Officer O'Neill, How is that Jessica Palermo went to visit his father a week ago?"-

-"Detective, if you're reading her name, she was here indeed."- He was really annoyed with all that snooping.

-"well, officer, I find it difficult to believe. You know, since Jessica Palermo died over two months ago."- He swallowed hard. It was impossible to confuse two people, because going into the visit room , all the visitors have to show a pass along with the identity card.

-"there must've been a mistake while filling the papers…"-

-"I don't think so. See…She came here for the first time a month and a half ago."-

-"I'll call the director. I'm sure there's a misunderstanding"-

A couple of minutes passed by, and the director finally showed up.

-"So, detective Nash right?"- She nodded –"Officer O'Neill informed me about this bad situation. How can I help you?"-

-"Do you record the visits ?"-

-"Let me guess…you want to see them. Well, detective, I can give you the tapes, but you have to know, we have no audio files."-

-"I know. I just want to see the visitors."-

He pointed at a small room near the bathrooms and they went inside together. He took the tapes and sat down with Tracy. When they found 'Jessica's visit', Traci's eyes widened.

-"She can't be Jessica."-

-"Detective…"- But he didn't have the time to speak cause she was already on the phone

-"Jacob I found something. Yeah, I'm watching the tapes. It looks like a very similar version of Jessica Palermo went to visit his father not so long ago. Yeah, she has the same hair and a bandage on her forearm. Problem is…we perfectly know she's dead" – she listened to what Jacob was saying –"Yeah I'll take them…ok"-

-"I need to take the tapes."-

-"You need a warrant detective."-

-"I know, I'll call the DA. Give me the tapes in the meantime."-

He agreed and she drove back to the station.

**At the station**

Tracy arrived at the station and found the team ready to analyze the images. About an hour later they isolate a photogram of 'Jessica', who was able to hide from the cameras most of the time. It took a couple of minutes but they immediately found a match.

-"Traci call Jacob immediately."-

She dialed Blackstone number and waited for his answer. The phone went to voice mail and she left a message –"_Jacob we analyzed the images. Call me back as soon as possible."-_

Sam was still looking at the picture –"What are they up to?"-

Andy looked at him confused –"What do you mean?"-

He got up and went to the wall full of pictures. –"They were kidnapped all together by God knows who. Three of them died, and obviously three of them escaped. Felicia Cooper went to jail pretending to be Jessica Palermo. It's safe to say the three of them still alive are planning something. Most likely some sort of vengeance."-

Luke had heard everything and joined the couple –"What if they want to kill the ones who kidnapped them ?"-

Andy had an idea on her mind since they spotted the three of them. –"What if they're our rats?"-

-"What do you mean?"-

-"What if the heirs of the most important gangs in town were considered a threat by the heads of the gangs. What if the three gangs kidnapped them to preserve their power? What if These guys are the ones behind all the murders?"-

-"It doesn't explain why we found detective Lockart near the other three, in a Cobras cemetery Andy"-

Luke looked at one of the reports –"Here. It says that the Cobras aren't using the woods as Cemetery anymore"-

-"Since when?"- Sam asked-

-"Since Felicia Cooper's father was arrested."-

Andy was even more convinced that she was right with her theory -"So, Felicia could've known the place. Maybe she was the one who suggested to bury their brothers and sister there."-

Sam followed her train of thoughts –"And she followed the Cobras cause she wanted to be sure that they'd buried Lockart far from where they buried the other guys"-

They were lost in their theory when Frank went to the office

-"Luke you have to go. There's been a shooting. Cobras vs. Phoenixes. 2 victims."- Luke nodded and went to his car.

-"Looks like those guys are reaching their goals. What about us Frank?"- Sam said looking at the three pictures.

-"Swarek you're not allowed to work outside. Go home. And you too McNally."-

**Sam's house**

-"What do you want for supper?"-

-"I don't know…"-

-"come on Sam…you know why you're not allowed to go outside. It's not for the suspension."-

-"I know. It's just that I'm not used to be left behind"-

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him –"it's not forever, and Jacob is keeping us posted. I know it's not the same, but it's better than nothing."-

He kissed her again –"What about I cook something?"-

She giggled –"The kitchen is all yours Chef Swarek. I'm going to have a shower."-

-"Alone?"-

-"Of course! My boyfriend is going to be very busy for the next hour"-

-"Oh your boyfriend is going to be very busy indeed"- He took her hand and let her to the shower.

**Hello guys!**

**I'm sorry this chapter is so short but I'm studying hard and I don't have a lot of time to write.**

**I'm not planning on bring Boyd or Claire or Jo before my "5X11" so you can still vote.**

**Let me know what you think with your reviews!**

**Sorry if this chapter was almost all about the case, but I needed to go on with the investigation in order to focus on the characters in the next chapters.**


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